Comparative Essay

All literature contains a purpose behind it—an underlying message that the author is trying to convey. As a result of this, most novels typically tend to focus on several specific areas, leaving other areas less explored. Setting, main character, and conflict are arguably the three most important elements of a novel. Novels such as Life of Pi by Yann Martel and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger demonstrate the importance of these three elements, yet highlight these areas to different degrees. Much of this variation is due to the different genres and styles of both books. Classic coming of age novels like The Catcher in the Rye typically focus on the maturation of the protagonist, while a more contemporary novel like Life of Pi is more abstract in its style and values. These differences allow for comparisons to be made between the two novels based on these three aspects. While Life of Pi is stronger in its portrayal of the setting, The Catcher in the Rye illustrates the main character and conflict more thoroughly and effectively.

The setting of a novel refers to the environment in which the narrative takes place. Oftentimes, the setting is a key factor in determining the meaning of the story or the intentions of the author, since the context of a situation can determine the conflict or the plot. This is especially evident in Martel’s Life of Pi. In this novel, the setting is a very significant aspect of the book, because it is the reason and the source of all the suffering that the main character, Pi Patel, endures. For the most part of the book, Pi is retelling his story of surviving 227 days on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Although by the end of the book, two parallel stories are told, it is important to realize that the setting remains constant in both stories. As the stories are retold in first person, the reader is taken into the eyes of Pi Patel, in which he continuously describes his surroundings and what he is going through. The day after Pi’s ship sinks and he is thrown onto the lifeboat, he portrays the environment he is in. “The weather was changing rapidly. The sea, so immense, so breathtakingly immense, was settling into a smooth and steady motion, with the waves at heel; the wind was softening to a tuneful breeze; fluffy, radiantly white clouds were beginning to light up in a vast fathomless dome of delicate pale blue. It was the dawn of a beautiful day in the Pacific Ocean” (Martel 108). Pi uses rich, descriptive language to attract and allow the reader to experience the same things that he is. In this way, the reader can better imagine the situation that Pi is placed in. In addition to describing his serene surroundings, Pi also describes his stormy and violent surroundings with the same type of descriptive language. During one of the biggest storms, Pi says, “What I had seen up till now were mere hillocks of water. These swells were truly mountains. The valleys we found ourselves in were so deep they were gloomy. Their sides were so steep the lifeboat started sliding down them, nearly surfing. The raft was getting exceptionally rough treatment, being pulled out of the water and dragged along bouncing every which way” (Martel 250). In this situation, it is clear that Pi’s description of his surroundings is to provide the reader with imagery and insight as to the horrors of what he is really facing. Pi also extensively describes the lifeboat that he is on; especially the positioning of Richard Parker, the tiger. Pi’s descriptions of his surroundings give the reader a clear depiction of his environment, which is important because the focus of the story is on the struggle between Pi and his environment. In The Catcher in the Rye, on the other hand, the setting of the narrative is not a very significant part of the story. The weather, however, can be interpreted as a theme throughout the story. The...

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Narrative Essays Are a Great Read
Name
ENG121
Professor
June 16, 2014
Narrative Essays Are a Great Read
Narrative essays and Descriptive essays can be similar but they are different in nature. The narrative essay “I Want a Wife” is more compelling than the descriptive essay “Homeless” because the narrative essay has a point of view, uses humor and satire, and uses tone and language that can draw the reader in.
“Narration is storytelling from the perspective of a narrator and the story may be true, false, imaginary, or a combination. A narration can be about past, present, or future events, and it can be short or the length of a novel” (Connell & Sole, 2013, sec. 6.3). A narrative can draw in the audience by telling the reader the story just how it happened or how they pictured it to be without losing someone in thought because they may not understand what they mean when they are using words to describe it a certain way. “Description is a pattern of writing that can be defined as painting pictures with words” (Connell & Sole, 2013, sec. 6.4). A descriptive essay uses very expressive words to describe specific details. The reader will have to use the five sense in order to understand what the writer is trying to convey and may get lost especially if the reader doesn’t understand one of those descriptive words. The two...

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If you were to analyze (discuss and explain) a play, you might analyze the relationship between a subplot and the main plot, or you might analyze the character flaw of the tragic hero by tracing how it is revealed through the acts of the play. Analyzing a short story might include identifying a particular theme (like the difficulty of making the transition from adolescence to adulthood) and showing how the writer suggests that theme through the point of view from which the story is told; or you might also explain how the main character‟s attitude toward women is revealed through his dialogue and/or actions.
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• uses vivid verbs and modifiers
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...﻿Mackenzie Boulter
Jake Syersak
September 25, 2013
English 101
Essay #1 - Part Two
In my creative piece, I used Lassel’s technique of depicting photographic moments to convey what home means to me. Just the topic of the southern lifestyles comes as a sensitive yet powerful subject for me. In my essay I decided to thoroughly develop strong mental pictures of the place I was raised and explain what it is that makes that friendly community of Lake Travis, Texas so special to me. Pinpointing the things that jog my memory of what it’s like to be from the welcoming town of LT in Austin, Texas. My main goal of the creative piece I wrote was to make everyone from different origins and hometowns, think about where they’re from and discern what having that place to call home means to them as I so passionately specify what it means to me.
When reading my paper aloud in my head, precise pictures of the rolling hills covered in deep greens, the still lake water that breaks as the boat cruises along and the over the top weird souls that roam 6th street keeping Austin’s reputation play in my mind form. Relating to the statement that I mentioned in my creative piece, “Where everyone embraces the fact that were a weird city filled with weird people who thoroughly enjoy doing weird things.” To people who aren’t from Austin, the details that perfectly describe the memorable parts of the weird city are all jumbled together on a sheet of paper....